A study by Glasgow University researchers has raised serious concerns about the growing relationship between professional football clubs and betting companies.

Their UK-wide research, carried out in conjunction with Healthy Stadia - an organisation which works with sporting bodies on health issues and concerns, shows how football shirt advertising by betting companies has risen "dramatically" since legislation was relaxed.

Researchers found that 95% (75/79) of football shirt sponsorship deals with English clubs included in the study were struck since 2005 legislation was passed. Before 2005, they could only find four shirt sponsorship deals between English clubs and gambling companies in their dataset.

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Celtic's city rivals, Rangers, also signed a deal with another online gambling company, 32Red, in 2014. That deal was extended for a further two seasons last June.

The Scottish Football Association also has a deal in place with William Hill for sponsorship of the Scottish Cup. The bookmakers are also listed on the SFA website as one of the Scottish national team's sponsors and 'partners'.

The University of Glasgow and Healthy Stadia research warns that gambling is a public health issue with potential for harm and called on UK legislators and governing bodies of sport to urgently revisit the relationship between football and gambling industry sponsorship.

Dr Chris Bunn, of the institute of health and wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, said: "The number of gambling firms sponsoring the shirts of major football clubs has increased dramatically since legislation was relaxed in 2005. "

Celtic's Scott Brown lifts the William Hill Scottish Cup as his side seal the treble (Image: SNS Group)

He added: "The intensification of the relationship between football and gambling advertising is highly likely to contribute to the normalisation of gambling, or what some have called the 'gamblification' of sports.

"We should be concerned and circumspect about this trend, given the consequence and cost disordered gambling can have for individuals, families and society writ large.

"When sponsorship crosses borders, as in the case of the Premier League which has as many as three billion viewers globally, it can have costs and consequences for societies less equipped than ours to assist those whose gamblingbecomes problematic."

The Glasgow academics analysed shirt sponsorship since the English Premier League's inaugural season of 1992/1993 to present day, and since the start of the Scottish Premier League in 1998/99.

The first gambling sponsor appeared on an English Premier League club shirt in 2002/03 and in the 2014/15 season in Scotland's Premier League.

By the 2016/17 season, 50% of the 20 EPL members carried gambling sponsorship on their shirts.

In contrast to this, only two out of 12 current members of Scotland's premier league had gambling sponsors on their shirts in 2016/17.

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Researchers noted the Premier League in Scotland receives less global attention and less income from selling its TV rights than the EPL.

Although there is not as much shirt sponsorship in the SPL as the EPL, researchers found less difference in other areas.

Gambling companies sponsor the top four leagues in Scotland and the league cup, they said.

In England, they found the same is true of all three tiers of the English Football League from Championship down to League Two, but not in the English Premier League, which has refrained from selling name rights to the league since 2016.

Robin Ireland, director of research at Healthy Stadia, said: "We need to be clear that gambling is a public health issue with a significant burden of harm associated with it."

He added: "We suggest that the relationship between football and gambling is now very unhealthy.

"Both legislators and governing bodies of sport should revisit the relationship between football in the UK and the sponsorship it receives from the gambling industry with a view to responsible codes of practice."

The research suggests that gambling companies responded to the relaxation of the gambling legislation in the UK by investing heavily in shirt sponsorship.

While football clubs are allowed to strike deals with gambling companies their players are barred by the association rules from places bets on matches.

The findings are published in the Journal, Soccer & Society.

Responding to the research a Scottish FA spokesman said: “The Scottish FA takes its responsibility towards gambling within football seriously and has clear rules in place prohibiting gambling which apply to players, referees and directors.

"In addition, we have delivered comprehensive gambling education workshops to all 42 SPFL clubs and academies.

"Scottish football has long enjoyed productive and responsible relationships with a number of betting companies and we are grateful for their continued support of our national game.

“Their investment helps drive the development of a number of important initiatives that impact upon all levels of the national game.”